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The weather in Svångemåla has gone back to ”normal” after a long dry spell before Midsummer. Normal means a little bit of sunshine, some rain, lots of clouds, around 18 C and gusty winds. I don’t mind since rainy weather gives me time to sit or lay down in the sofa with a good book as my companion.

I have just finished one that I can recommend to all who are interested in other countries and cultures. It is written by Unity Dow, who is the first female High Court Judge in Botswana and a well-known human rights activist. The title is “Far and Beyon” (yes, it is spelt that way) and it gives a fantastic insight into the lives and thinking of a young girl in rural Botswana. Powerful and sad, but still with a lot of hope. I just love it.

Midsummer

It is soon midsummer in Sweden, one of the most important holidays and times of the year. The sun is visible 24 hours north of the polar circle and even in the southern parts of the country, it never gets really dark. For me it is kind of half time and time to take stock of what I have seen and noticed in my small part of the world called Svångemåla.

First of all some sad news. The cranes did not stay to start a family. Their visit was short, but sweet, and I hope they will come back next year. In stead of the cranes, a Canadian Goose made a short stop but moved on due to lack of water. This is now a growing problem due to the very dry weather that we have had to endure since the beginning of May. The grass has gone brown and many flowers and even trees look a bit sad and dehydrated.

On the positive side, a young moose has showed up, calmly grassing the area the cranes used to be. S-/he is a one year calf that the cow has let go / abandoned when she got a new one to take care of. I hope and pray that it survives being alone and the yearly moose hunt in the fall. The dry weather has also meant that the mosquitoes are not as many as they normally are.


The meadow where the cranes have been replaced by a moose.

Swedish National Day 2008

Today is our National Day. It used to be the day when we celebrated the flag but this changed some time ago and today it is a public holiday and we are trying hard to establish our own traditions, similar to what Norway and many other countries have had for a long time. It is unusually hot and my lawn is brown and hard. Even my badger has realized that it is not the right place to hunt for worms and has gone to other and wetter areas. A general ban to light fires is in place and the use of water is restricted in many towns and municipalities. It feels a little like Africa and it was fun when a typical winter bird, a Great Tit, started to sing just beside me as if to remind me that it will be snowy and icy in just six months or so. Brrrr….

Lily of the Valley

Most of us associate certain music with special moments, persons or places. Smells, fragrances and scents are also often linked in the same way. The smell of burning leaves and grass is for me closely associated with Africa and the strong fragrance of lilies of the valley is for me, as well as most Swedes, the end of school since most of us had some of them on our desk on the final day. It is a really special and easily identifiable fragrance that evokes memories of relief, a well-known psalm, new clothes, and a bit of sadness that all schoolmates would be separated for almost three months. This year, most of the lilies will have faded before school ends due to an unusual warm May but I am sure many of the visiting parents will nevertheless smell lilies of the valley and remember their own exams.

Lunch

I have always admired waiters who can bring several plates full of food all the way from the kitchen to my table without dropping anything. The birds are even more impressive since they can keep several wriggling worms in the bill and at the same time catch a mosquito.

Total Make Over

You have probably seen several TV series showing ”before” and ”after” of women, men, apartments, houses, cars and what not but I am sure that you have not seen a total make over of a Wagtail? As you know, one of my favourite birds is a wagtail that lives under a roof tile and has done so for several years. Today, when I was sitting enjoying the sunset, it sat down and started to prepare itself for dinner or an evening out, I am not sure. Anyway, it is just amazing what a difference a few minutes of cleaning and grooming makes. Have a look below and tell me what you think!

Before ......


Work in progress ....



After and ready to party !!!!

Rhubarb !

Many sportsmen, politicians, actors, and other officials never get the credit they deserve. Instead of becoming famous and appreciated they struggle in the shadow of the already well known and established “stars”. The same is true for flowers! Roses, tulips and a few more are always in the vases in movies, in the hands of the brides and when someone is being thanked for doing this or that, while other are simply forgotten and never given a chance to be in the spotlight although they are just as wonderful and special. I have just discovered one such flower; rhubarb ! Look at the picture below. Isn’t it wonderful? So the next time you go to a flower shop, why not ask for rhubarb flowers for your date / wedding / dinner etc. ?

Food delivery

Mother Starling is very busy. Her children are demanding and let her know when they are hungry but luckily the mosquitos are here in full force.

Birds

If anything, Svångemåla is a paradise for all kinds of birds. Some of you might remember the woodpecker I saw last year. This year, a family of starlings occupies this particular nest. Wonder what kind of rent agreement they have agreed on?


Not far away, a Pied Fly Catcher has moved into a nest I have put on the wall of a shed. A Wagtail first took it but she was resolutely chased away by the Fly Catcher. The fight lasted only a few minutes but was fierce while it lasted.

"Forget me not"

OK, ok, I know. The correct name of "Tiny Blue" is "Forget me not". You don't have to tell me. Some might wonder why I have not learnt more about common flowers and birds etc and the truth is that that I do not know a lot about music and a lot of other things but still enjoy them. I even think that too much knowledge about something can actually hinder us from enjoying them. Just think about movies. If you know a lot about movie making, it can be difficult to fully enjoy a movie and instead focus too much on technicalities instead of the story. Or what do you think?